Brick size and weight: red, silicate, facing, fireclay

When ordering materials, you need to know their parameters. Even such a well-known material as brick has a large number of types and varieties. The good news is that its parameters are standardized. The standard brick size and its qualitative characteristics are determined. 

Types of building bricks

According to the material, the brick is ceramic (clay, red) and silicate (white). By appointment – ordinary (construction) and finishing (facade). An ordinary one is used for laying walls, it involves subsequent finishing, therefore a notch can be applied to the side faces (spoons) – in order for the plaster to hold better.

According to the method of molding, the brick is corpulent and hollow (hollow). Full-bodied is molded from a homogeneous composition. They are used where mechanical strength is important – foundations, load-bearing walls.

Hollow has a certain percentage of voids, due to which the weight of the structure is reduced, and thermal conductivity characteristics are improved. But the presence of voids significantly reduces sound insulation performance – voids work as resonators. So you have to use them wisely.

Ceramic brick size

Ceramic bricks are fired parallelepipeds molded from clay. Quality is largely determined by properly maintained firing parameters, as well as the composition of the clay solution. High-quality ceramic bricks can be used for any construction operation: for the construction of the foundation (solid), the construction of external walls and internal partitions.

The main disadvantage of this building material is some variation in geometry. It is explained by the peculiarities of clay – it can be of different “fat content”, which makes it difficult to accurately predict how much the size will decrease during drying / firing.

What to look for when choosing

When choosing a red brick, you should pay attention to its color. It displays the quality of the batch along with a parameter such as brick size. It is unburnt or burnt. The second option is not bad in operation (it looks darker than usual), and it is better not to use unburned brick (lighter and looser) at all – it falls apart very quickly.

The second point that you need to pay attention to is the absence of extraneous inclusions. Most often there are light points and expanded clay. Both lead to the rapid destruction of the brick. So we choose only batches with a uniform color without any additives.

More quality criteria

• For solid building bricks:
  • Chips and bluntness of ribs and corners are allowed in the amount of no more than 2 pieces, no more than 1,5 cm long.
  • There may be a curvature of the edges of no more than 3 mm.
  • On a spoon, a crack is allowed along the width of the brick with a length of not more than 3 cm.
• For a hollow private:
  • No more than two chips at the corners with a depth of 1-1,5 cm, if they do not reach the voids.
  • The presence of a crack in the entire thickness of the bed is allowed. And they can reach the first void.
  • There may be one crack on the bond and spoon side (on the side faces).
    

That is, the requirements for ordinary building bricks are quite loyal. The presence of these defects does not affect the quality of the masonry, and the decorative component is unimportant, since it is assumed that there is a finish. Do not forget to check the size of the brick – in one batch, the run-up should not be more than 3 mm.

The requirements for finishing (facing) ceramic bricks are more stringent. Invalid:

• Chips of edges with a depth of more than 1,5 cm.
• There should be no cracks.
• The ribs should not have bruises more than 3 mm wide and more than 1,5 cm long.

To meet these requirements, the finishing bricks are laid on pallets, the corners are protected with boards knocked down at an angle, the entire structure is wrapped with a film. It is transported in this way.

dimensions

The optimal size of a clay brick (red, ceramic) was determined historically. It has been produced for thousands of years, as a result, the ideal combination of lengths has been worked out, which is reflected in the standard. It was adopted only in the last century. There are three standard options available:

• single — 250*120*65 mm (513 units per cubic meter);
• one and a half – 250 * 120 * 88 mm (379 pieces in a cube);
• double (ceramic stone) – 250 * 120 * 138 mm (55 pieces in a cube).
  

Of the features – a single brick is full-bodied, hollow. One and a half and double – only hollow, otherwise they turn out to be too heavy for comfortable work.

In addition to the standard ones, there is a reduced brick. It is produced in Europe, but it also comes to us. Its parameters and international designation are summarized in the table.

What size is better

In the post-Soviet space, a single brick is most often used. It is very familiar to our eyes; many masonry schemes have been developed for it. Mastering bricklaying with your own hands is worth it with such material.

One and a half bricks are used less frequently. It provides some economic benefit. Firstly, a cubic meter costs a little lower. Secondly, since the masonry fragments are larger, less mortar is consumed. Thirdly, work goes faster. Time is saved due to the larger size. But it is more difficult to work with a brick and a half, even if it is hollow – it is hard to hold in your hand. And the appearance of the wall is unusual.

Double brick is more often called ceramic building stone. When using it, the most tangible effect is the speed of construction. In addition, the solution savings are also increased. But it will not work to grab such a brick with one hand. Therefore, it is better to work with an assistant. The appearance of the masonry leaves much to be desired, so an exterior finish is desirable.

If we talk about other countries, then in Europe the most popular ones are NF and DF. Imported ceramic brick NF has almost the same proportions as the domestic one. Category DF – thinner, masonry looks elegant.

Silicate brick dimensions

Silicate brick is made from quartz sand (9 parts) and lime (1 part), a certain amount of additives. This building material has better thermal conductivity characteristics (conducts heat worse), less weight. The technology is such that it is easier to maintain geometric dimensions, so there are usually no problems.

But it is not as hard as red brick, besides it is afraid of moisture – with prolonged contact with moisture, it begins to crumble. Because of this, the main area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbuse is for the construction of walls and partitions. Neither for the foundation, nor for the basement floor, nor for laying the chimney, it can not be used.

The second area of ​​application is as a finishing material. The base composition has a white, slightly grayish color. You can add any dye to it and get a colored brick.

The dimensions of the building silicate brick are the same as those of the ceramic one: single has a height of 65 mm, one and a half – 88 mm, double – 138 mm.

Single and one-and-a-half silicate bricks can be solid and hollow. Single corpulent weighs 3,6 kg, hollow – depending on the size of the voids 1,8-2,2 kg. A full-bodied one and a half has a mass of 4,9 kg, and a hollow one – 4,0-4,3 kg.

Double silicate brick is usually made hollow. Its weight is 6,7 kg. Full-bodied are rare – because of the large mass (7,7 kg), it is difficult to work with them.

Weight of one piece: ceramic, silicate, ordinary, facial

The weight of the brick is needed, firstly, to calculate the foundation, this parameter is especially important when determining the parameters of the tape type foundation; secondly, for cargo transportation; and thirdly, to determine the quality and compliance with the requirements of GOST.

In addition to standard-sized bricks, there are a large number of lightweight finishing bricks. For example, there is a silicate one and a half, which weighs only a little more than a standard single – 4,1-5,0 kg.

There is the so-called “American” – with a standard single size and a weight of only 2,5 kg. Lightweight versions can be used for finishing facades in case of lack of foundation bearing capacity. Although, it is better to use a lighter finish – facade slabs, for example.

Fireclay brick parameters

For the construction of stoves, fireplaces in the zone of contact with fire, a special fire-resistant brick is used. In its production, a special grade of clay is used – fireclay. Therefore, such a brick is also called fireclay. The production process is the same as building red bricks – shaping, drying, firing in a kiln. But, due to the special properties of fireclay, the resulting building material can easily withstand prolonged contact with open fire. In everyday life, two brands of general-purpose refractory bricks are used – ShA and ShB. ShA can withstand temperatures up to 1690°C, ShB – up to 1650°C, all other parameters are identical. Therefore, they have the same scope – this is the molding of fireboxes for fireplaces and stoves.

The size of the refractory brick is to be coded in the number after the abbreviation:

• ShB-5, ShA 5 – 230 * 114 * 65 mm;
• ШБ-6, ША 6, ША 14 — 230*114*40 mm (leschadka);
• ShB-8, ShA 8 – 250 * 125 * 65 mm;
• ShB-9, ShA 9 – 300 * 150-65 mm;

Most often, ShA 8 or ShB 8 are used. They coincide in length and thickness with ceramic red brick, from which the rest of the furnace is laid. There is also a wedge-shaped refractory brick – to form the vaults of the firebox and smooth curves in the horizontal plane.

There are two types of wedge refractory bricks:

• end – for the formation of curves in the horizontal plane
  • ША, ШБ 22 – 230*114* 65/55 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 23 – 230*114*65/45 mm;
  •  ША, ШБ 48 – 250*124*65/45 mm;
    

• rib vaulting
  •  ША, ШБ 44 – 230*114*65/55 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 45 – 230*114*65/45 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 49 – 230*114*96/65 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 50 – 230*114*76/65 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 51 – 230*114*56/65 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 52 – 345*150*125/75 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 53 – 345*150*90/75 mm;
  • ША, ШБ 54 – 345*150*80/75 mm;

This is not all sizes and types of fireclay bricks. You will find more in GOST 8691-73.

Clinker brick

Clinker brick is another special type of ceramic brick. In its manufacture, a special type of clay is used – refractory slate. The molded blocks are fired at a very high temperature of 1200°C. As a result of this processing, the clay acquires the properties of ceramics, the color – from dark red to rich brown.

Clinker bricks have very high strength and abrasion resistance. From it you can pave roads, finish the porch. And they will serve for centuries. The surface of the clinker is even, smooth, shiny. That allows you to use it also as a finishing brick – for finishing facades, laying pillars, etc.

The shape and size of clinker bricks can be very different – there are a lot of them, since there are not only standard ones – in the form of a parallelepiped, but also with rounded edges beveled at different angles.